


Nothing Happened

by AmberBrown



Series: Earning Their Keep [29]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 23:50:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17069561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberBrown/pseuds/AmberBrown
Summary: She trailed her fingers across her lovers back. She paused. Something did not seem right. D’Artagnan did not have scars across his back. Constance slowly opened her eyes.The man in the bed next to her, the naked man in the bed next to her, the man she was pressed against with her own naked body...The man was not her lover.





	1. Strange Bedfellows

**Author's Note:**

> You don’t need to have read the other stories in this series, this one stands alone. All you need to know is that D’Artagnan and Aramis are in an established relationship, and Constance is aware and fully supportive.

As Constance drifted between awake and asleep, she could feel the warmth of her lover next to her. Her hand was lying on his back. She shifted slightly to press herself against him. The feeling of contentment filled her. She knew it was wrong to share her bed with her lover when her husband was away. But he was not due back for several days and she wanted to make the most of having the man she loved near her.

She could not remember the previous evening very well. She knew there had been wine. Quite a lot of wine. There had been laughter and teasing. The three of them at ease in each other's company. 

D’Artagnan had won some money at cards and had wanted to treat his two lovers to dinner. They had found a quieter tavern and dined well. Aramis had entertained them both with tales of battles and skirmishes, although Constance was sure he embellished the truth frequently for dramatic effect. She and Aramis had spent some time teasing d’Artagnan about their odd circumstances. He had laughed them off and ordered more wine promising to get his own back on them both.

But what had happened between then and her waking, Constance could not recall. Too much wine, thought Constance knowing she would probably suffer for it during the day. But the evening had been good, she decided the discomfort was worth it.

She trailed her fingers across her lovers back. She paused. Something did not seem right. D’Artagnan did not have scars across his back. Constance slowly opened her eyes.

The man in the bed next to her, the naked man in the bed next to her, the man she was pressed against with her own naked body... 

The man was not her lover.

MMMM

Aramis worked his way from sleep to awake. He kept his eyes shut, knowing he had drunk too much. Opening them would probably not be pleasant. If the curtains were open, he would be blinded by the sunlight that always seemed to find him when he had drunk too much.

He remembered having a good time the previous night. D’Artagnan and Constance had been perfect company. He remembered trying to impress his lover with tales of bloody battles, despite the fact he had toned down some of the more visceral details for Constance’s sake. He and Constance had teased their lover, spending a little too long talking about how good he was at kissing. They had resorted to pretending to whisper to each other whilst looking at the exasperated man conspiratorially. 

D’Artagnan had tutted and ordered more wine. He had promised to get his own back on them both. Constance had leaned forward and told him that they would just compare notes afterwards. D’Artagnan had glowered at them both for about ten seconds before grinning widely and telling them both that he loved them.

Aramis smiled at the memory. But everything after that eluded him. He knew Constance intended to whisk d’Artagnan back to her home as Bonacieux was away for a few days. 

There was something odd about the sheets he was lying on. They were not his own. Aramis tried to remember where he was. His only conclusion was that he must have called on Madame Labelle. It was remiss of him to have called on his mistress whilst he must have been a little drunk. He hoped she would forgive him if his performance the previous night had not been up to his normal standard. 

As he became more aware of his surroundings, he realised his mistress was pressed against him, her warm body moulded around his own. Her hand was gently caressing his back. She never spoke about the scars, just trailed her gentle fingers across them.

The touch caused him to become aroused. Despite feeling the effects of perhaps a little too much wine the previous night Aramis was determined to treat Madam Labelle as she should be treated. 

Aramis was a little surprised when his mistress pushed away from him suddenly. He turned onto his back, opening his eyes as he did so. 

With shock, he realised he was not with his mistress. 

He was naked and in bed with an equally naked Constance. 

MMMM

Constance’s eyes were wide. She scrambled backwards off the bed grabbing the sheet as she went and trying to cover herself up. She ended up pressed against the far wall, as far away from the very naked Aramis as she could get. 

Aramis, who looked equally shocked, had stumbled out of the bed in the other direction, knocked into a chest of drawers and end up in a heap in the corner of the room trying to conceal his obvious arousal. 

Thoughts whirled through Constance’s mind. How had they ended up in bed together? Where was d’Artagnan? Had they had sex?

Had she slept with her lover's other lover?

‘I...Constance...I...don’t know...I didn’t…’

Aramis was trying to look anywhere but at her, he had turned away a little and was breathing fast. It was clear from his flushed face that he was very embarrassed. 

Constance pulled a blanket from the back of a chair and walked around the bed to hand it to the confused man who had not moved from where he had ended up in the corner of the room. Aramis took the blanket and wrapped it around himself. His dignity slightly recovered, he pushed himself up to stand, wavering slightly at the move. 

Constance thought for a few moments.

‘We didn’t have sex,’ she said, feeling herself redden, ‘I would be able to tell…’

Aramis who was still struggling to make eye contact nodded a couple of times as he looked around the room. Constance followed his gaze, the Musketeers clothes and weapons were piled, rather haphazardly on another chair, by the door. She stepped out of the way as Aramis slowly edged passed her. Looking around she saw the dress she had worn the previous night lying crumpled by the bed. 

‘I’ll...er...I’ll go into the other room,’ said Aramis as he bundled up his clothes with one hand, clutching them tightly as he moved out of the room.

Constance watched him go. She had no idea what had happened, and it was clear Aramis was just as oblivious.

MMMM

When he had stumbled off the bed and landed on the floor Aramis could not get a thought to stick in his mind. He was naked and aroused. He was in bed with Constance. He was naked. Constance was naked. He was in Constance’s bed. Naked.

How had he ended up there? Where was d’Artagnan?

He glanced at his friend who looked shocked. 

‘I...Constance...I...don’t know...I didn’t…’

He could not even string a coherent sentence together. 

Had he taken advantage of her? Had he slept with her when she was drunk? Would he do that to a woman, to anyone? He had slept with people who had been drinking and were a little merry. But he was sure he would not have taken advantage of Constance.

Why would he sleep with Constance anyway? She was one of his best friends. She was d’Artagnan’s lover. He loved Constance, but he did not want to sleep with her.

Aramis realised Constance had approached him with a blanket. He reached out and took it, throwing it around himself quickly. He felt a little better after he had been able to cover himself up. Aramis was not bashful about his body, but being naked in front of Constance was not something he wanted to be. He pushed himself up to stand.

Constance looked at him, ‘‘We didn’t have sex,’ she said, she paused for a moment a slight look of embarrassment on her face, ‘I would be able to tell…’

He nodded his thanks for the information. It was certainly a relief. Aramis did not think he would be able to forgive himself if they had slept together, if he had taken advantage of her. 

Looking around the room he saw his clothes piled on a chair. He was normally very neat with his clothes, even after a few drinks. How much had he drunk?

Constance stepped back to allow him to move towards his belongings. Not wishing to cause further embarrassment for either of them he decided he should leave the room. 

‘I’ll...er...I’ll go into the other room.’

Aramis stepped out of the room still none the wiser as to how they had ended up in the situation they were now in. 

MMMM

After dressing, Constance walked through to the main room of the house. Aramis emerged from the second bedroom at the same time. They looked at one another.

‘Where’s d’Artagnan?’ asked Aramis. ‘I can’t remember everything from last night.’

Constance shook her head, ‘neither can I. But I don’t really feel as though I’ve had too much to drink now. The muddled feelings have gone. My head is clear. It doesn’t make any sense.’

‘Why would we…’

Aramis looked beyond Constance at the unmade bed behind her. Constance could still see the shock in his eyes. She stepped up to him.

‘I’m sure nothing happened. Neither of us would do that to him,’ she said firmly.

Aramis nodded, ‘let’s concentrate on his location then shall we.’

Constance managed a smile.

She turned to look at the kitchen area of her home. A chair was lying on its back, some pots had been knocked off a sideboard and a vase lay broken in front of the hearth.

‘What happened here?’ she said looking at the general disarray of her normally immaculate home. 

Aramis had crossed to the table and picked up a piece of paper. A quill and ink sat next to it. The ink had been spilt, staining the table. 

‘Is this your writing?’ asked Aramis holding out the paper.

Constance took the paper and looked at the rather lopsided and untidy writing.

‘I think so, although I’m usually much neater than that.’

Aramis reached out to her and turned her right hand over. A dark ink stain covered her skin.

Constance looked at the paper again, reading it carefully.

_Armis & Me,_

_d’Artagnananan taken by soMe men._

_TakEn to staBle by church wit belllll broken.  
collect in morning._

_You was drged it in wine  
be alright ___

__Constance looked up at Aramis who was reading the scrawled note over her shoulder. He was scowling._ _

__‘Drugged?’ he said._ _

__‘I think that’s what I meant,’ replied Constance._ _

__Aramis thought for a moment, ‘I suppose that explains why we felt how we did when we woke up. It must have worn off enough to not be affecting us any longer.’_ _

__‘I wonder what I meant by “collect in morning” what are we to collect?’_ _

__‘D’Artagnan?’_ _

__Constance read the note again, ‘who took him?’_ _

__Aramis shook his head, ‘I have no idea, but I think I know where the stable is.’_ _

__‘What are we waiting for?’_ _


	2. A Good Night Out?

_The previous night… ___

__D’Artagnan watched both his lovers as they teased him. He both wanted them to stop and continue at the same time. He hid a smile behind a shocked offended face. He admonished them both soundly, telling them he would get them back for what they were doing._ _

__Constance her eyes on him the entire time leaned into Aramis and whispered something. Aramis sniggered before whispering back. Constance giggled, leaning on her friend for support as she caught her breath._ _

__D’Artagnan rolled his eyes and looked around for one of the tavern servers. A comely young woman wandered over. She batted her eyelids at him and smiled. D’Artagnan glanced at his two lovers who were sat together on the other side of the table in order to gang up on him. When he knew he had their attention he turned back to the young woman and started to flirt with her._ _

__He could feel the disapproving stares without having to look back at his lovers. They would be trying to hide it, but he knew they would hate it. Once he had put his order in for more wine, the young women gave him, what he suspected, was her best flirtatious smile. D’Artagnan turned back to them with a grin._ _

__‘I hate you sometimes,’ said Aramis with a shake of his head._ _

__‘You do it all the time-’_ _

__‘I’ve got a reputation to maintain,’ protested Aramis._ _

__Constance said nonchalantly, ‘I think she’s probably too good for you anyway.’_ _

__‘Right that’s it,’ said d’Artagnan decisively, ‘I want to sit by my woman.’_ _

__He rose from his seat and glared at Aramis who pretended to be offended. As they swapped seats they managed to brush past it other, Aramis rubbed his hand. The touch enough to send a ripple of excitement through d’Artagnan._ _

__He settled himself by Constance, knowing that he could put his arm around her in public. He looked at Aramis with a slight sadness to his smile, knowing that he could not show his other lover the same affection unless they were behind closed doors, out of sight of narrow-minded people._ _

__As Aramis went to take the seat that d’Artagnan had vacated he stumbled slightly, knocking the table. After blinking a couple of times, he looked at d’Artagnan and Constance._ _

__‘Sorry,’ Aramis said, ‘I haven’t drunk that much...have I?’_ _

__Aramis looked at the bottle on the table and the cup in front of him for a few seconds._ _

__‘You’ve not had much more than me,’ replied d’Artagnan._ _

__‘Have you eaten today? I’ve seen people who had not eaten much get affected by wine quicker than others,’ suggested Constance with a smile._ _

__‘That must be it,’ said Aramis, ‘I missed lunch, because someone,’ he glared at d’Artagnan, ‘was late back to the Palace after his break.’_ _

__D’Artagnan glanced at Constance unable to hide the guilt._ _

__‘Then I apologise on his behalf,’ said Constance reaching out a hand to rest on Aramis’ as she spoke._ _

__They continued talking for a few more minutes before Constance paused mid-sentence blinking, much as Aramis had done._ _

__‘I’ve had less than you,’ she said, ‘but I am starting to feel quite...like I’ve had enough.’_ _

__D’Artagnan looked at his two lovers, wondering why the wine was not affecting him in the same way. Aramis who looked like he was about to fall asleep picked up his nearly finished cup and looked at the contents quizzically._ _

__‘Perhaps this is not as watered down as we’re used to,’ he said, his words beginning to slur._ _

__Constance giggled, ‘you mean he’s brought his lovers somewhere that a better class of people might visit.’_ _

__Aramis looked at d’Artagnan, ‘thank you.’_ _

__D’Artagnan was a little worried about his lovers. He glanced around. The tavern was not noisy. He was worried that his merry lovers might say something out of turn. Something incriminating. D’Artagnan decided it was time to go._ _

__‘Let’s get to bed-’_ _

__‘Am I invited?’ asked Aramis with a badly executed wink at Constance who giggled again._ _

__‘Let’s get you back to your rooms, and you,’ d’Artagnan gently pulled Constance up to stand, ‘back to your house.’_ _

__MMMM_ _

__D’Artagnan decided that herding cats would be easier. He could keep a tight hold on Constance, but he could not keep hold of Aramis at the same time. He had to keep grabbing his lover’s sleeve and steering him in the right direction._ _

__‘Why are you all coming back to my rooms? I know the way…’_ _

__Aramis stumbled slightly, d’Artagnan grabbed him firmly, but let go of Constance at the same time._ _

__‘You may know the way, my friend. But I’m not convinced you’d actually get there.’_ _

__Constance was skipping alongside him humming. She started to wander off a little as d’Artagnan steadied Aramis._ _

__‘Come back here,’ said d’Artagnan a little more forcefully than he meant to._ _

__Constance looked back at him for a few seconds._ _

__‘Don’t speak to me like that,’ she said._ _

__‘Sorry, I’m just worried about you…’_ _

__Constance looked a little put out but allowed d’Artagnan to take her arm._ _

__The cooler air seemed to sober Constance and Aramis after a few minutes, but both were obviously still affected by their evening. D’Artagnan could not understand why he had not been affected in the same manner. Aramis had, perhaps drunk a little more than him, he was at the tavern first and ordered the wine before he and Constance arrived. But wine did not usually affect his lover too much, unless he drank to excess which was true of anyone._ _

__D’Artagnan decided to ponder the issue after he had seen Aramis safely to his rooms and got Constance into bed. As they neared Aramis’ rooms his lover turned to him._ _

__‘Are you being overprotective?’ he asked with a cheeky grin._ _

__D’Artagnan sighed with a smile. He slapped Aramis on the arm. Constance giggled again. Her giggles were quite infectious. All three laughed for a few seconds as they turned off the main road towards the road where Aramis lived._ _

__The laughter stopped when they were grabbed by a group of men. Constance was pulled from d’Artagnan’s arm, letting out a shocked yelp as she was easily pushed over to the wall. Aramis was grabbed by another man and tripped to the floor before being held there easily._ _

__D’Artagnan was roughly pushed into the opposite wall, he was swiftly gagged and had his hands tied behind his back firmly. More rope was used around his knees and ankles, he was pushed unceremoniously onto the back of a small cart. There were too many men for him to fight them alone. Despite his best efforts, d’Artagnan had been restrained with relative ease by the men._ _

__He looked across to Aramis who was trying to get up but seemed to lack the coordination. His lover would not normally be bested by one man, but in his current state, Aramis was easily kept on the ground._ _

__Constance, who was still pinned to the other wall, tried to shout out but her cries were muffled by the hand of the man keeping her captive. She looked shocked as d’Artagnan was restrained and pushed onto the cart._ _

__D’Artagnan could see one of the men walking across to Constance and talking to her. The man, with a pock-marked face, spoke to her for a few minutes. Constance stared at the man before eventually nodding. The same man then crouched in front of Aramis and spoke to him for a few minutes. As the man spoke to Aramis, d’Artagnan looked at Constance who was still being held against the wall. She did not look scared, she looked worried._ _

__The man stood up after speaking to Aramis and turned to the cart, he nodded to someone behind d’Artagnan. The cart started to move forward. As he was carried away, he saw the men who were holding his lovers each pull a knife. The last thing he saw was the knives being held to their throats._ _


	3. Remembering the details

Being pulled from d’Artagnan’s grip was a shock for Constance. Her already slightly blurry vision took a few seconds to catch up with her. With a thud she was pushed firmly into a wall, the air knocked out of her. She could not stop a yelp of shock at the treatment she had received. 

One minute she was enjoying her slightly inebriated evening with her lover and Aramis, the next they were being attacked by a group of men. She was so muddled in her thinking and coordination that it only took one man to keep her where she was. The man was holding her by the arm. She tried to push him off her but lacked the strength. She felt oddly weak and far away. She tried to concentrate on what was happening around her. 

Aramis had also been grabbed, he was on the ground a few feet from her. Where it was not really surprising that she was only being held by one man, it was odd that only one man was needed for Aramis as well. He was lying on his back, the man was pinning him to the ground with his hands on Aramis’ chest. Aramis was trying to get up but like Constance seemed to lack the coordination and strength.

But d’Artagnan, he was receiving the roughest treatment. He had been pushed by two men into the wall opposite her. Constance watched as her lover was gagged and had his wrists tied behind his back and his legs bound together. He was bundled into the back of a small cart and held there by two men. 

Constance tried to shout out, but the sound was smothered by the man who was holding her. He kept his dirty hand over her mouth pushing her head back into the wall.

A man walked towards her. He had scars across his face, she suspected from some childhood illness. 

He stopped in front of her and spoke slowly and calmly.

‘Listen to me carefully,’ he said, ‘your friend there stopped me and my men from getting our own back on a deceitful trader. He stopped us by helping the trader to get away. I’m not happy about that and want him to pay for what he did. I’m not going to kill him, just worry him. We’ve been watching the three of you for a few days.’

The man paused for a moment watching Constance. She glanced at d’Artagnan who was watching her from the back of the cart, he looked very worried. 

‘It’s obvious that the three of you are very close...what you get up to ain’t my concern, but I don’t think he’d like it if something happened to you two. So that’s what he’s going to think for a while...until you get to him.’

Constance tried to keep up with what the man was saying but it was difficult. She guessed that the men just wanted to get revenge on d’Artagnan and they were not simply going to beat him up to do so.

‘You and your friend there,’ the man nodded towards Aramis, ‘have been drugged. You will recover fully. By the morning you will be fine. But, this is the thing you need to really pay attention to-’

Constance had been looking at d’Artagnan again, she refocused on the man in front of her.

‘-you are likely to forget what has happened tonight. It would be best if you wrote yourself a message.’

Constance looked at the man and nodded slowly. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. It seemed that d’Artagnan was not going to be hurt, but would be left somewhere overnight. 

The man turned away from her and stepped over to Aramis, crouching down, getting the Musketeer’s attention. 

Constance watched as Aramis made an effort to pay attention to the man talking to him. She looked across at d’Artagnan again. She wanted to shout out to him but the man holding her still had his hand over her mouth. 

The man stood up and turned towards the cart and d’Artagnan. He nodded to the driver of the cart who urged the horse on. As the small cart moved away Constance was distracted from watching her lover being taken from her by the man who was holding her, pointing a knife at her throat. 

Despite the muddle-headed feeling she had she knew she needed to get away from the knife. She shouted, despite the hand over her mouth and tried to squirm. The man just held her tighter for a few seconds. 

With no warning, the man released her and stepped away. At the same time the man keeping Aramis on the ground, who had also pulled out a knife to threaten the Musketeer, stepped away. The men ran off in the direction of the cart. 

Aramis tried to scramble up and pull his gun from his belt but whatever they had been drugged with meant he was uncoordinated and simply stumbled about until he bumped into the wall opposite.

Constance pushed herself away from the wall and grabbed Aramis who stared at her.

‘Did they tell you where they’ve taken him?’

‘Yes,’ said Aramis with a slur, ‘but I don’t think I can stay awake long enough to get over there.’

‘We’ve been drugged,’ said Constance, aware that she was slurring her words almost as much as Aramis.

‘But we’ve got to get him…’

‘He said we’d be fine in the morning...Aramis…’

The Musketeer was trying to pull away from her grip. He looked back at her. 

‘We’ll get him in the morning, we need to write a note. He said we’d forget the details.’

Aramis blinked a few times and wavered slightly.

‘We’ll go to your place, it’s closer to where he’s been taken,’ he said.

Constance nodded, she pulled Aramis around and together they started walking towards her house.

MMMM

‘Just keep the location in your head. Aramis, that’s all you’ve got to do. I’ll write the note.’

Constance kept repeating the words. Aramis nodded, which was a mistake. It was difficult to remain upright as they stumbled through the streets. He was glad it was quiet. He doubted they could fend off an attack in their current state. Constance was a capable fighter in her own right but even with her help, Aramis knew they would fail to foil any attempt to rob them or hurt them. 

The man had told him they were taking d’Artagnan to teach him a lesson. Aramis was not entirely sure what d’Artagnan had done but he certainly did not deserve the treatment he was receiving. 

Constance who had not been affected as badly by the drug, either by accident or design had taken charge of the situation. As they walked, she kept getting him to repeat the location of the stables where they would find d’Artagnan.

He had suggested they go back to the garrison to get help, but she had pointed out it was too far. Aramis had to agree. The man had told him there was a real likelihood of them passing out, if that happened before they got to safety, they would be in too much danger.

They reached the Bonacieux residence. It took Constance a few attempts to get the key into the lock, but they managed to stumble into her small living room. Aramis, who was losing all his coordination as the drug worked on him fell into a sideboard knocking some pans to the floor. The clatter of the pans hitting the stone floor was loud, serving to bring both of them to their senses. He looked at the pans on the floor.

‘Leave it,’ snapped Constance who had grabbed a piece of paper and a quill and ink. 

She was leaning over the table writing carefully. Aramis stumbled again brushing against a chair which toppled backwards.

‘Aramis, go to bed,’ said Constance firmly.

She went to dip the quill in the ink again but knocked the inkwell over. She cursed as she looked at the smudge that had been left on her hand. Aramis stepped towards her but only succeeded in knocking over a vase on the table. The vase tumbled to the floor smashing into several pieces. 

‘Bed. We need to sleep, then we can go and find him,’ Constance glowered at him before pointing towards the bedrooms.

Aramis nodded, regretting the move again as soon as he did. He managed to walk from the room without breaking anything else. He pushed open the door to the bedroom, his thoughts were really starting to cloud over as he pulled his weapons belts off and hooked them on a chair. 

He managed to strip off wondering where he was. He did not recognise the room. Was he on a mission? Had they stopped somewhere for the night? That had to be it. They had stopped for the night and had a bit too much to drink.

Once he had stripped off he pulled the sheets back off the bed. He was warm, too warm for sheets and blankets, he simply lay down.

MMMM

After sending Aramis from the room, Constance read her note again. The words were blurred, it was hopeless. She could not read what she had written. She could only hope she had done enough.

With a stumbling step, she walked to her bedroom stopping in the doorway, she could make out someone lying on her bed. The figure was blurry, but it had to be d’Artagnan. Her husband was away. She managed a smile. 

They had obviously drunk too much and he had taken himself off to bed to sleep it off. She did not normally drink very much. The feeling was not particularly pleasant, but she guessed they had enjoyed themselves. 

It seemed to take her forever to undo her dress and let it slide to the floor, she stripped off her undergarments and managed to make it to the bed. Her eyelids were heavy, she moved across to lie next to d’Artagnan who was snoring quietly. She pressed against him, feeling his warmth, as she too drifted off to sleep.


	4. Nothing Happened

_Now… ___

__It was a couple of miles across the city to the stable that they hoped they would find their lover. As they walked Aramis continued to try to piece together the events of the previous night, but could not fill in the gap between being in the tavern and waking up next to Constance._ _

__He had spent several minutes apologising to his friend who had spent the same time telling him not to worry about it, that nothing happened. She pointed out that they had probably passed out so would have been incapable of anything other than sleeping._ _

__Aramis still felt awful to have ended up in the situation. It felt as though he had betrayed his lover. And they did not know what state d’Artagnan would be in. Constance’s confusing note implied that they would be fine, but not what state d’Artagnan would be in. Who had taken him and why? And why leave him somewhere?_ _

__Had they killed him and just wanted his body to be found?_ _

__‘How much further?’ asked Constance who was walking quickly having hitched her skirt up slightly, the fabric clutched in her hand._ _

__‘It’s the end of this road, there’s the church,’ replied Aramis as he pointed towards the abandoned church. ‘We found a couple of fugitives in there once, it’s been disused for some years, the stables are behind it.’_ _

__He led them around the church. As the stable came into view they both broke into a run. Aramis entered the stable pausing at the doorway to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Constance stopped beside him looking around. There were several stalls along one side of the old stable. They started to walk along the row of stalls looking into each as they went._ _

__When they reached the last one they both sighed with relief. D’Artagnan was lying on his side, facing away from them. He was still restrained with the ropes around his wrists and legs. Another thick rope had been used to tether him to the hook that would have held the horses feed._ _

__Aramis stepped forward with Constance at his side. They knelt beside their lover, Constance reached out and touched his shoulder. With a jerk, d’Artagnan pulled away and tried to talk through the gag._ _

__‘It’s alright,’ said Constance calmly, ‘it’s us.’_ _

__D’Artagnan tried to turn onto his back, Aramis stopped him._ _

__‘Wait while we untie you.’_ _

__Constance was already working on the gag as Aramis started to untie his lover's wrists. D’Artagnan moaned, Aramis guessed he had been left in the same state for several hours._ _

__As Constance pulled the gag from his mouth, d’Artagnan coughed a few times._ _

__‘Are you alright?’ he managed to say hoarsely, worry evident in his voice._ _

__‘Yes, we err...we’re fine,’ said Constance slowly, she glanced at Aramis._ _

__He realised that in their hurry to find their lover they had not talked about how they should approach what had happened to them the previous night. Should they tell d’Artagnan that they had shared a bed, even though they were convinced that nothing untoward had happened?_ _

__‘Do you remember what happened?’ asked Aramis._ _

__‘Yes. You two were drunk, I was trying to get you both home when we were attacked…’_ _

__He trailed off._ _

__‘What?’ asked Constance._ _

__‘They had knives to your throats as they took me,’ d’Artagnan had a haunted look in his eyes as he spoke._ _

__Aramis finished untying d’Artagnan’s wrists. Between them, Constance and he managed to push their lover on to his back, before helping him to sit up and lean on the stable wall. He screwed his eyes shut and grimaced._ _

__‘It’s the blood starting to flow into his hands and arms,’ said Aramis who noticed the concerned look on Constance’s face._ _

__After a few seconds d’Artagnan managed to open his eyes, he looked at them both, while Aramis untied the ropes around his knees and ankles._ _

__‘They told me they were going to hurt you both and kill you. They told me it was because I stopped them from hurting a man a couple of weeks ago. They said I had to suffer a loss because they had lost out on some money or something…’_ _

__Constance glanced at Aramis, ‘we weren’t hurt. We were drugged, that’s all that happened to us, I’m sure.’_ _

__‘You mean you don’t know?’_ _

__‘We can’t remember anything after being in the tavern,’ said Aramis with a quick glance at Constance._ _

__‘I’ve been lying here waiting for them to come back and tell me where I can find your bodies…’_ _

__Aramis leaned back on his heels watching as d’Artagnan tried to hide the emotions that were overwhelming him, ‘that was their goal,’ he said, ‘they wanted you to feel the loss, to wonder what had happened to us.’_ _

__‘I really thought I’d lost you both…’_ _

__Constance leaned forward and gathered d’Artagnan in her arms holding him tightly. D’Artagnan reached out his hand to Aramis who shuffled towards his lover who grabbed him tightly._ _

__They remained locked in the embrace for several seconds. When d’Artagnan released them, Aramis saw the tears in his eyes, he hated to imagine the night his lover had endured worrying about Constance and himself._ _

__Aramis reached out and wiped the tears from d’Artagnan’s cheek._ _

__‘Are you hurt?’ he asked._ _

__‘No,’ replied d’Artagnan, ‘I think I’m just stiff from being here all night.’_ _

__‘Let’s get you back home then,’ said Constance._ _

__MMMM_ _

__D’Artagnan had accepted the help Aramis offered as they slowly walked back to Constance’s home. Aramis slipped his arm around his waist whilst Constance clutched d’Artagnan’s arm on the other side. He felt very stiff and weakened. But it was also reassuring to be in close contact with his lovers._ _

__When they had appeared in the stable and were seemingly in perfect health he had wondered if he was dreaming. The hours lying on the cold floor with nothing to do but wait had been torturous. He had tried to pull free of his bindings, but the ropes were too tightly tied and the rope keeping him in place was too short for him to be able to crawl very far. He had been very effectively trapped._ _

__Seeing both Aramis and Constance had left him lightheaded as the relief washed over him. He tried not to think about what the man had said to him, what he was going to do to his lovers. The descriptions of how he was going to kill them both were horrific. And now he knew they were just that, descriptions. The man certainly knew how to hurt him._ _

__As they reached the house Constance released her hold on him to open the door, she stepped inside. Aramis helped d’Artagnan in._ _

__D’Artagnan paused at the door and looked at the mess in the main room. Constance saw him looking and started to bustle around tidying up._ _

__‘What happened here?’ he asked, as Aramis helped him to sit in the cushioned chair by the hearth._ _

__Aramis hesitated before replying, ‘I think whatever they drugged us with made us clumsy. I think that might have been my doing. You said we appeared to be drunk.’_ _

__D’Artagnan nodded watching Aramis glance at Constance again, a guilty look on his face._ _

__‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’ he asked. ‘You’ve both been avoiding looking at each other.’_ _

__Constance sighed, ‘nothing happened.’_ _

__‘Nothing happened?’_ _

__‘No, nothing happened,’ repeated Constance before looking at Aramis. ‘I know nothing happened.’_ _

__D’Artagnan was confused. Aramis was still not looking at Constance and he appeared to be a little embarrassed._ _

__‘Please tell me what it is.’_ _

__Constance stepped up to Aramis and rested her hand on his arm._ _

__‘We woke up together,’ said Aramis after a few seconds._ _

__‘You woke up together?’_ _

__Constance continued, ‘we were in bed together.’_ _

__D’Artagnan stared at his lovers open-mouthed._ _

__‘Nothing happened,’ said Aramis quickly._ _

__D’Artagnan scowled at them both, ‘why are you so worried about telling me then?’_ _

__‘Because we were both...naked,’ said Aramis who was looking at the floor intently._ _

__Constance’s cheeks were flushed._ _

__‘When I woke up, it took me a few seconds to fully come around, I thought he was you to start with, it was only when I felt the scars on his back that I realised.’_ _

__D’Artagnan nodded slowly before looking at Aramis._ _

__‘I thought I was in bed with Madam Labelle.’_ _

__‘But nothing happened,’ said Constance again._ _

__‘It’s alright, I believe you.’_ _

__D’Artagnan could tell his lovers needed reassurance. They were both clearly worried what he would think._ _

__‘And if something had happened...I wouldn’t have minded.’_ _

__If it was possible, Aramis looked even more embarrassed. Constance patted his arm with a smile._ _

__‘I think,’ she said, turning to d’Artagnan, ‘that our relationship is more like that of brother and sister. I know we...share you, but we don’t need you to share us.’_ _

__D’Artagnan nodded, ‘at least I still have you both,’ he said._ _

__Constance moved to d'Artagnan’s side, she knelt beside him, taking his hands in hers._ _

__‘We're not going anywhere,’ she said._ _

__D'Artagnan looked up at Aramis who had finally composed himself._ _

__‘Constance is right. Ours is an...odd relationship, but we're sticking with it. You don't get rid of us that easily.’_ _

__D'Artagnan looked away, tears in his eyes, ‘I was so worried what they were doing to you…’_ _

__‘Nothing happened to us,’ reassured Constance, glancing back at Aramis._ _

__‘Nothing happened,’ Aramis reiterated as he joined his lover and his friend._ _

__The End._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it.


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